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Last week I made a terrible mistake and trusted the randomly picked stylist and thought it was okay to accept her “revolutionary idea”. She told me she would make my hair look thicker. Well, it’s thick as hell now and too short to be true. After crying my eyes out I decided gathering survival tips was a better step to make than quitting my job to be able to hide in my bedroom all day until my hair grew back. Now I’m gonna share the most useful tips with you on how to survive a bad haircut which really worked for me while recovering from the shock of loss.

Embrace the facts

If it’s still not so short, you can try to experiment with a new stylist, maybe he or she can correct the worst part of it. But eventually you’ll get to the point where you have to face it: it’s done. And here are the facts:

How long will it take to grow back? Our hair grows quite fast, about 1 cm every month. Which means 0.3-0.5 mm each day, which is surprisingly good I think 😉

Can I make it grow faster? Yes: a scalp massage can do wonders. It improves blood circulation to hair follicles and helps remove dead skin cells too. Do it 1-2 times a week.

What about vitamins? They help to prevent hair loss, but won’t affect the speed of growth. So if you take them, you’ll have more hair, because they won’t fall out as fast as they usually do, but for this result you’ll have to wait 6-12 weeks.

Get to know the new you

Go and stand in front of the mirror. Observe the details and the whole impression of your new look and do this until you get familiar with it. This way you won’t get shocked every time you spot your reflection in a window or while brushing your teeth. It can totally turn your mood upside down if you are not prepared to see what you’ll see.

Style it up

You left already your comfort zone, so it’s time to enjoy it! Experiment with new looks, textures, colors and accessories. See it as an adventure or an absolute legitimate reason to get to buy new earrings and styling products. For example I’ve never tried sea salt sprays before, but they turned out to be a hit for me: my bad haircut evolved to a sexy and wild new style for a couple of days. And I’m looking forward to further experimentation. 🙂

Your Royal Awesomeness

It’ll be a very long series of bad hair days if you won’t accept the fact your bad haircut is now a part of you. Both Gerda and Peter said it’s time to realize it’s not the looks that really matter, it’s our personality, our self-confidence and happiness which we’ll be noticed by everyone who looks at us. It’s a cliche which everyone knows, but only a few live by. But you are perfect. It’s a fact. And it’s time to you to accept is as well. I’m on my way to do that – it’s difficult, but worth it. I keep on reminding myself on this every day and every day it gets easier.

Say goodbye to your previous style and celebrate this new phase in your life. Because you’re awesome anyway.

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Green smoothies are more dangerous than one would imagine. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s a fact. If you don’t prepare them in the right way, they can cause severe problems in the long run. Read this quick explanation and the easy guide so that you can minimize the risks and maximize the amazing effects of green smoothies.

What are the risks?

Okay, I have to admit, that I fell for them too. I just loved the idea of getting healthier by drinking a delicious mix of fruits and vegetables. Who wouldn’t like that? Eating fruits and veggies is okay, but consuming them 10 times daily – which would be the recommended amount according to a new study – is nearly impossible. For most of us at least.

But unfortunately it turned out it’s not so easy as I thought. When I researched a little in this topic, I found out that there are some issues which tend to be overlooked by most of the green smoothie promoting articles. I made two lists of the possible risks: a dramatic and a realistic one.

The dramatic list

diabetes

obesity

fatty liver

kidney stones

Scary, right? And it’s true: if we don’t pay enough attention to how we make our green smoothies, these will be the possible outcomes. With the help of the less dramatic list below let us explore this dangerous world 😉

Blood sugar level

The problem: the causes of diabetes and insulin resistance are still unclear, but there are some factors which highly increase the risk. It is assumed that the high fluctuations in the blood glucose levels can contribute to the progress of diabetes and even to the development of insulin resistance. The intake of simple sugars (white sugar, white flour) and fructose causes spikes in the blood sugar levels, and that’s what fruit juice does, especially when the fruit’s fiber is removed. Fiber makes things better. And green smoothies have fiber in them , but this fiber is chopped into little peaces and therefore it may go through the digestive tract quicker than in its whole form. Because of that their effect is weaker.

The solution: the good news is that there are other ingredients which can slow down the glycemic response. Adding (unsaturated) fats and protein will do the job. So coconut and almond milk, chia seeds are our friends 🙂 You can even use more leafy greens and fiber-rich fruits, like berries.

Excess calories

The problem: smoothies count as processed foods and besides it is harder to notice how many calories they include. According to myfitnesspal.com an average green banana smoothie contains 373 calories and 90 g carbs – and it’s just a drink! And carbs (those little bastards) turn into body fat very quickly…

The solution: make smaller portions and use low-carb fruits. Try to avoid using bananas and grapes regularly, they are the worst.

Overdose of fructose

The problem: Researchshows that high intake of fructose may lead to metabolic syndrome, obesity, fatty liver, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and even kidney disease. But it’s clear that it has to be overdosed. Since a lot of products have fructose as sweetener in them, it’s not so unrealistic.

The solution: do not buy products which use fructose as “natural sweetener” and do not boost your smoothies with extra fructose or corn syrup. Naturally occurring fructose may not harm you, it’s the processed form which is the evil one.

Oxalates

The problem: Oxalates are salts of oxalic acid, found in many fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens like spinach or salads contain more. Normally they are excreted in the urine, but excess levels may lead to the formation of stones in the kidney. This condition is usually genetically-based and very rare, but those who drink lots of green smoothies should be aware of the risk.

The solution: Be alert and drink a lot of water. Dehydration can also lead to contributing to kidney stones.

Healthy green smoothies: a how-to

On the other side green smoothies have dozens of benefits, so you shouldn’t stop drinking them. Just pay attention to the things mentioned above. The ideal smoothie: